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Kia Optima and Rondo recalled for faulty airbags

Kia is recalling Optima and Rondo models from 2006 to 2008 for an airbag issue. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

An issue with the airbags has prompted Kia to announce a recall of nearly 150,000 cars. Rondo models from 2007-08 and Optima models from 2006-08 have a defect that could cause the airbag not to deploy during a crash.

Chronic problems with airbags at Kia

Kia has had multiple airbag recalls in the past year, along with its parent company, Hyundai. According to the New York Times, Kia recalled the Sorento SUV in 2011 for defects in the airbags on models from 2007 and 2008.

Hyundai announced a similar recall at the same time, for the Santa Fe and Veracruz crossover SUVs. The Hyundai recall comprised about 205,000 vehicles and the Kia Sorento recall comprised less than 11,000 vehicles, according to Consumer Reports.

Recall of almost 150,000 cars

Kia has just announced another airbag recall. This time, the company is recalling 145,755 Rondo and Optima models because of a clock spring in the steering column, according to AutoBlog, which can wear over time. The defect in the clock spring can cause the circuitry for the airbag to develop “resistance” and fail to deploy in the event of a crash.

The defect, according to the New York Times, was noticed while Kia was performing warranty services related to the recall that it announced in September. The recall is precautionary; no accidents or injuries are known to have occurred as a result of the defect. The affected models are the Rondo, from the 2007 and 2008 model years, and the Optima, from the 2006 to 2008 model years.

Warning light signals defect

Owners will know if the defect has disabled the airbag because the airbag warning light will come on. Also, owners of those model years of Optima and Rondo will be alerted by Kia. The company will start contacting owners in March. Any clock spring assemblies that are in need of replacement will be replaced by Kia at the closest Kia dealership service station at no charge to the owner.

Kia Motors can be contacted at 1-800-333-4542 if owners have questions. The National Highway Transportation Administration can be contacted at 1-888-327-4236, if owners have any additional questions they wish to ask the NHTSA.